RECIPES!!!

So, this is my new recipe binder!  I'm seriously addicted!  I spend all my free time looking for new recipes to try!  I love it!  It all started because my current recipe book was falling apart and I could never find the recipes I was looking for!  When I got married my mom asked all my shower guests to bring along their favorite recipes and since then my collection has been growing, due to baking exchanges and some other events!  Thanks to my many family and friends for sharing some of their favourites!  Also, in the last few years I've fallen in love with the Kraft Canada website.  They have so many recipes and meal ideas, with common household ingredients that taste amazing!  You should take a browse, if you haven't done so before!  Seriously...it's addicting!  So many meal ideas, and baking fun!  I've even used a few of their cupcake and birthday cake ideas!  Fun!

So, this is it...

I made several category pages and placed those pages in page protectors.

APPETIZERS

SALADS

SOUPS

MAIN DISHES

CROCK POT DISHES

MARINADES & SAUCES

SIDE DISHES

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

COOKIES & SQUARES

CAKES & BREADS

MUFFINS

DESSERTS

FRUIT DIPS

DRINKS

SNACKS

 Then I typed out my existing recipes and put them behind each category page.  I've got all my recipes organized together now, with room to add more over time!  Great fun!  Hopefully over time I'll make the binder more creative, but until then this will do!  Let me now if you are ever looking for a recipe or two!  I have a bunch of favourites!  Or if you have a favourite...let me know, I'd love to try it!!

Mmmmmm....

So I've taken on a liking to trying new recipe's lately.  It's been fun experimenting with some new flavours and finding some old treasured recipes I had never tried...  Also, over the last few weeks, we've started exchanging recipes at work, so I've gathered some exciting new ones to try.  Because of this I decided to revamp my entire cookbook, I couldn't find the recipes I was looking for and I had so many on loose cards/pages, that I thought it was time to start over.  I'll show it to you in my next entry.  But for now, here is another one of my new favourite recipes.  Given to me by my lovely friend Laura!  I never took a picture of my soup, but I promise you it is very yummy!

MAPLE SWEET POTATO SOUP
1 large sweet potato, halved                                            2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 med onion, chopped                                                   6 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp maple syrup                                                        1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

http://vegonline.org/Health-&-Nutrition/Top-10-Healthiest-Vegetables.html

Heat oven to 350F.  Roast unpeeled sweet potato flesh side down, until brown and soft (~20min).  When cool, peel off skin of the potato (it should peel right off).  Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onion and softened sweet potato.  Saute until onion is transparent (~4min).  Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 15 min.  Puree for a smooth soup.

Mmmmmmm.... enjoy!!!

...a yummy dinner...

So, I tried a new recipe last night at the recommendation of a friend of mine!  It was so yummy...  Give it a try, if you are looking for something new!  :)

EASY CHICKEN CORDON BLEU  (taken from Kraft Canada)

What you need:

1 pkg of Stovetop Stuffing mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of deli-sliced smoked ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare stuffing mix as directed on the package.  Place chicken in 9x13 dish, cover with ham slices.  Mix soup and mustard together and spoon over the chicken.  Top with prepared stuffing mix.  Bake for 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!!!

Today...

You've Already Won the Battle   from Heart to Heart with Holley

I read the words written on old pages to an old nation as 

they crossed the desert into a new land -- God will fight for you.

And I draw in a deep breath.

Because I need those words now.

Don't we all?

Oh, we may not go to war.

But we fight...

for relationships

for dreams

We battle...

against illness

against discouragement

I think of you staring at the screen, perhaps feeling your strength is small. Oh, yes, I know what that's like.

But victory isn't up to us.

And those words you sometimes hear? "You're not worth fighting for."

They're a lie.

Nothing more.

This is the truth from the heart of One who calls you His own:

You are loved.

You are worth fighting for.

You are even worth dying for.

So go into your day, strong friend, knowing that nothing can defeat you.

You've already won. 

Recycled Sweater Vases

This was my project for tonight!  After several busy weeks, I had a free night to enjoy some crafts once again.  The idea came from Stephanie Lynn at Under The Table and Dreaming.  She did a beautiful job!  

I loved the idea!  So, I began attempting my own!  Here goes...

I grabbed some old sweaters... and pulled them up over several old vase and candles

I had lying around the house... 

Really its just that easy...  

After trimming the bottoms and gluing them down with a hot glue gun, 

I inserted some greenery/sticks for decoration. 

What do you think??  

So simple... yet quite fun! 

A New Spring Look

Spring is on the way...  So I thought I'd give a fresh look to my blog!  hmmmm....  Love the freshness spring brings!  A chance for new starts and new things...  Refreshing...

Homemade Wreath

So, I had a creative moment this week and attempted making a wreath for our front door.  I found an idea I liked at Under My Umbrella.  You can visit the link below for more specific directions on how to make this wreath, if you'd like to try it yourself...

http://undermypolkadotumbrella.blogspot.com/2011/01/burlap-wreath-tutorial-giveaway.html

My finished wreath!

Under My Umbrella's wreath

I began with a simple wreath and a bundle of burlap I bought from Michaels.  I wrapped the wreath with the burlap twisting it a bit here and there to to give it a bit of a roughened look.

  

Then I took some remaining burlap and cut it into smaller squares to make some flowers.  I wanted these flowers to  be a bit lighter in colour, so I bleached these squares in a ratio of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach, soaking them for about 15 minutes.  They were left to dry overnight.

Then I cut several circles out of cardboard to use as a base for both the fabric and burlap flowers. 

Using a hot glue gun, I glued the square bleached patches of burlap to the cardboard circles -- adding more and more square pieces until the flowers appeared full.

Once all three of the the burlap flowers were finished, I began on the fabric flowers.  Using some fabric I cut out long strips of fabric -- 3 inches wide -- and folded them in half, and then in half again.  The fabric was then rolled into a flower shape and hot glued to another cardboard circle.

 

After that, the flowers were arranged in place on the burlap-wrapped wreath, and then glued down!  

The finished product!

So fun...  love this crafting thing!!!  :)